Alopecia Areata and Regrowth of Hair

Drs. Winter, Kern, and Blizzard observed that systemic steroids like prednisone generally did not alter the course of alopecia areata (AA), though occasional positive results were noted. However, the author disagreed with their assertion of a generally poor prognosis for AA patients, clarifying that Muller and Winkelmann's cited poor prognosis referred specifically to extensive patchy AA, alopecia totalis, and alopecia universalis. The author emphasized that in most cases of AA, which typically involve one or a few small patches of hair loss, hair almost invariably regrew.